1. Laughter is good for You
Unit 1 Module 6
Unit 1 Module 6
Laughter is good for You

2. a clown

5. Can you describe a clown? Do you want to work as a clown?
Questions
Where can we see a clown?
Can you describe a clown?
Do you want to work as a clown?

7. Rowan Atkinson
a well-known British comedian; famous for the character Mr. Bean.
Mr. Bean makes us laugh by using...
his facial expressions.
his body movements.

9. Ma Ji is a well-known artist of crosstalk shows in China
Ma Ji is a well-known artist of crosstalk shows in China. His crosstalk shows always make his audience howl with laughter.

10. Guo Degang, a most popular artist of Chinese crosstalk
Guo Degang, a most popular artist of Chinese crosstalk. He has a different style of performance , which brings the audience back to the theater.

11. Reading
Stand-up
for your health

12. General questions: What is the article about? Stand-up comedy.
How many types of stand-up are there?
There are four main types.
What is laughter good for?
Our health.

13. Detailed information（P.4）
What is special about stand-up comedy?
What are the four main types of stand-up?
When did Billy Crystal begin practising stand-up?
What is one reason Billy Crystal has become so famous?

14. 5. How many times has Billy Crystal hosted the Academy Awards?
6. Who were Bob Hope and George Burns?
7. What does your brain do when you laugh?
8. What is the English idiom about laughter mentioned in the text?

15. Reading Strategy
What if we come across some new terms / words while reading?
Try to guess their meanings from the context.

16. What is special about stand-up comedy?
Stand-up is different from other forms of comedy because the comedian is in front of the audience and may talk directly to audience members.

17. 2. What are the four main types of stand-up?
They are observational,
prop,
physical, &
impressionist.

18. 3.When did Billy Crystal begin practising stand-up?
4.What is one reason Billy Crystal has become so famous?
He began practising stand-up
when he was a child.
His outstanding ability to improvise.

19. 5. How many times has Billy Crystal hosted the Academy Awards?
6. Who were Bob Hope and
George Burns?
Eight times.
They were two comedians who
lived to be 100 years old and
kept working until the end of
their lives.

20. 7. What does your brain do when you laugh?
8. What is the English idiom about laughter mentioned in the text?
It sends chemicals that are
good for you into your body.
Laughter is the best medicine.

21. Listening & further comprehension
1.A stand-up comedian _____ while performing.
A. enjoys laughing
B. enjoys making fun of himself
C. usually takes advantage of the
audience
D. has prepared a lot of jokes in
advance

22. 2.Which of the following is the style of prop?
A. jokes in everyday life
B. visual humor
C. body action
D. imitation of a well-known
person

23. 3.Billy Crystal started his career ____.
A. as a television actor
B. as a film actor
C. as a stand-up comedian
D. as a host

24. 4.What does the word ‘routine’ in Para. 3 ( Line 28) probably mean?
A. road
B. performance
C. lines
D. style

25. 5.What does the word ‘improvise’ in Para. 4 (Line 33) probably mean?
A. perform without permission
B. perform without preparation
C. act well
D. act fast

26. 6.At the 2004 Academy Awards, a very old actor ______ at first.
A. was asked to make a silent speech
B. didn’t turn on the microphone on
purpose
C. made the audience laugh
D. couldn’t make himself heard

27. 7.What does the word ‘appropriate’ in Para. 4 (Line 40) probably mean?
A. proper
B. clear
C. silly
D. enjoyable

28. 8.We can infer from the last Para. comedians are expected to ______.
A. enjoy a very long life
B. work till the end of life
C. have no plans to stop work
D. perform stand-up

29. How comedians perform them
Four Types of Stand-up
Types
How comedians perform them
Make jokes about things happening in everyday life
Observational
Prop
Use props
Physical
Use comedians own bodies
Speak or act as famous people
Impressionist

30. Correct type of Stand-up comedy
Prop
A comedian stands on stage and holds a banana to his ear. He says, ‘Hello? Hello? I’m sorry I can’t hear you. Something must be wrong with my phone.’
Observational,
Prop,
Physical, ?
Impressionist

31. Correct type of Stand-up comedy
Impressionist
Observational,
Prop,
Physical, ?
Impressionist
A comedian puts on glasses, changes his or her voice and pretends to be someone else.

32. Correct type of Stand-up comedy
Physical
A comedian walks on stage. As she introduces herself, she falls down.
Observational,
Prop,
Physical, ?
Impressionist

33. Correct type of Stand-up comedy
Observational
A comedian says, ‘My Grandmother started walking 1 km a day when she turned 60. She’s 89 now, and we don’t know where she is!’
Observational,
Prop,
Physical, ?
Impressionist

34. Group work
Which of the four types of stand-up do you like best?
Will you create similar situations to perform any of the four types?
Will you create situations to make us laugh?

35. Fill in the blanks according to the text. (1)
One of the most well-known and well-loved types of ________ is called stand-up. There are different ______ of stand-up comedy. The main _____ are observational, prop, physical and impressionist. There has always been _______ in them to make people watching them laugh.
comedy
styles
four
humour

36. (2)
Billy Crystal, a famous stand-up ________, has hosted the Academy Awards ____ times. Each time, he performs his stand-up _______ in front of millions of people when the show is broadcast ____ on TV. His outstanding ability to ________has impressed people around the world.
comedian 8
routine
live
improvise

37. (3)
Doctors have discovered that people who laugh a lot live ____ after researching what _____ stand-up and other forms of comedy have on us. When we laugh, our ____ sends chemicals around the body that are good for us. _______ helps the body stay healthy, as the saying goes, ‘Laughter is the best ________’.
longer
effect
brain
Laughing
medicine

38. Discussion
What kind of comedy do you enjoy the most? Why?
Laughter is good for you and for everyone else. How do you make other people laugh?

39. Homework
Read the text till you can read it fluently
Do Part E on P. 5